Bruce Bochy

Regular season baseball is a funny game. Postseason baseball is knee-slapping, Will Ferrell in Anchorman game.

We all know, and will be reminded again throughout the NLCS, about the greatness of Roy Halladay and the precision of Roy Oswalt.

Experts and baseball analysts will pound it into your head how prominent the Phillies 1-2-3 punch is on the mound. My two-year-old nephew knows they are good.

It would be easy, and appropriate, to enjoy the afterglow of the Giants' NL West division title by merely acknowledging the usual suspects: Aubrey Huff, Andres Torres, Brian Wilson, Buster Posey, Pat Burrell, Juan Uribe...

Wow. It is indeed a long list.

But it seems more suitable to tip the cap to two men who put that list of players together and made it click.

Don't ask. It's a bad idea.

The only reason the suggestion even need be entertained is because it's already been put forward. People who over-analyze everything and think they know which of the final six games of the season will be most important are calling for the Giants to pull Barry Zito from the starting rotation and get Tim Lincecum two starts this week.

Do you remember being excited about rooting for a Giant named Barry? I remember getting stoked about the idea that the Giants now had two Barrys to root for.

As one Barry faded into the San Francisco mist, another joined the team. Heralded as the face of the franchise, we threw benjamins at his feet, and lined his wallet something thick.

Circa 2007: "Oh we just signed Barry Zito from the A's??" Fist pump!

The Giants' season-long chase after the San Diego Padres has finally paid off. San Francisco is half a game back of the Padres.

Getting here has been a lengthy and remarkable pursuit marked by the resilience and dedication of the boys in orange and black.

And it isn't over. Much will depend on how the Giants play their last remaining games.

And yet there are some things beyond the Giants control that may happen to hamper their run at NL West Pennant.

Let's take a look at 10 key things to watch for down the stretch for the Giants.

Andres Torres, the center fielder and lead-off hitter, is the most irreplaceable member of the San Francisco Giants' lineup.

The Giants have to replace him, though, because he's out for the remainder of the regular season following surgery on his appendix.

Regardless of whether the San Francisco Giants make the postseason, the 2010 campaign has already been a success.

The team is contending into September as it did in 2009, but the lads' chances look much better this time around the bend.

Even if they ultimately fall short of the second season, the squad will improve upon the '09 version's 88-74 record as long as they don't finish in a 10-12 skid.

The San Francisco Giants did everything most fans insist that they never do and came away with an important win on Thursday night, beating the Colorado Rockies 2-1, to gain a game on the NL West-leading San Diego Padres.

The notion that Tim Lincecum's woeful performance in August was prompted by rookie catcher Buster Posey tipping pitches is utterly ridiculous.

Of course, the desperate search to explain how poorly Lincecum has pitched lately leads fans to suggest he cut his hair and has manager Bruce Bochy saying the two-time Cy Young Award winner needs to work harder to get in better condition during the offseason.